A Sky Full of Stars
by Charitable Millionaire
Summary: "I'm right here," he sighed as he grabbed her hand in his own. It was warm and rough as his larger hand encircled her fingers and rubbed at her palm. "The ones that love us, never really leave us." Sirius/Hermione...Motorbikes, karma, late night kisses, tyrannical redheads called Jess, the usual...
1. Chapter 1

**Warning: this story begins very darkly and deals with grieving a loved one but it gets lighter as you go along. Also I promise that the story gets better the further along you read, so even though the first few paragraphs are dark, don't be fooled. This story gets very light and humourous and romantic later on :) Pinky swear.**

* * *

 **~Sky Full of Stars~**

 **"The ones that love us never really leave us."**

 **Pairing: Hermione/Sirius**  
 **Inspiration: Sky Full of Stars - Coldplay**  
 **Rating: M**  
 **Summary:**  
 **"I'm right here," he sighed as he grabbed her hand in his own. It was**  
 **warm and rough and felt so real as his larger hand encircled her fingers**  
 **and rubbed at her palm.**

* * *

Hermione was so exhausted and starved that she could barely move anymore. Since Sirius Black's death, she refused to eat or speak to anyone. All she did was cry, and lay on her bed, wishing for sleep but not even sleep could take away the pain she felt inside her. Because she never told Sirius she was in love with him. And now nothing could bring him back or give her the wasted chances she never took.

Sirius' last few months of life had been dark and lonely in Grimmauld Place with only his mother's portrait and Kreacher for company, when it could have been filled with warmth and love. With her kisses and affection, with her fingers through his hair, telling him she loved him and would never leave him. That she needed him and wanted him to take her, body and soul. Yet his tragic life had ended with an ever more tragic and solitary end. The life he spent wrongly accused in prison, surrounded by Dementors and haunted memories, only to escape yet never find his way back fully into the light. He died only two years after his escape from Azkaban, a time he spent as a fugitive and house prisoner. And then he died without ever knowing how much he was loved and needed.

Hermione broke down into new spasms of tears. She should have no water left in her body by now but the tears still came running angry, hot and aching. Her whole body doubled up in sobs.

Sirius should've been wrapped in her arms, their bodies entwined together, keeping each other safe. Her love might have saved his life, if only she had been with him at Grimmauld Place instead of leaving him alone. But she had never took the risk. Her fear and pride had prevented her from putting it all out there and taking a chance, whether Sirius laughed at her or loved her and the whole world scorned her for wanting to be with a broken man decades older than her.

It was so painfully obvious now that it didn't matter what other people thought. Their opinions didn't matter if she could just hold onto the beautiful man she loved. She would give anything to have the chance back. She didn't care anymore what anyone thought or said. It was why she didn't even care to go back to Hogwarts right now or answer any of the letters piling up. She had learned the hard way what the cost of pride was. She would be haunted for the rest of her life by that price. By the loss of a man so painfully beautiful and so obviously in need of love that she could barely think of him now without breaking apart.

In between her empty cries she could hardly breathe anymore. It felt as if her lungs were shutting down from grief, as if her whole body refused to go further without Sirius. She knew she was too young to give up on life but the thought of a future without him felt so wrong she wasn't sure she could take it. And she hated herself. She hated herself because she had waited for the right time to tell him, to show him her love. But the right time never came. It turns out the wrong time was the only time they had together and she had let time slip through her fingers like precious pearls. Now there was nothing she could do to bring him back. She could never tell him or hold him.

"Sirius I'm so sorry. I should've told you," she mumbled outloud in between sobs, "Even if you had died anyways, I should've used whatever time we had to be together. I will always regret it."

Fresh tears fell down her face as she looked at the night sky outside her window and immediately spotted Sirius' star. His star, of the Canus major constellation, burned a radiant blue and was one of the brightest among millions of other stars. It almost made her smile through her tears. Sirius had been just like his star, achingly beautiful and larger than life.

"...I love you Sirius. I always will," she whispered as she looked up at his star.

Her hair was matted to her face with tears, and she was all alone, but somehow making this small confession outloud made her pain reduce by a tiny fragment.

Hermione lay back down in her bed and continued to stare up at the sky.

His star burned and shimmered as beautiful as ever but felt so far away, like Sirius himself. It would probably take millions of lightyears for a person to reach it. An eternity seemed to pass as she stared up at his star before her eyes finally closed by themselves. Her exhausted body drifted off into a deep sleep for what might have been hours or perhaps even a few days. No one knew where she was and she had lost track of time. Perhaps if she grieved here any longer without eating she would die. Though she didn't care right now. She didn't want to wake up. She didn't want to go back to Hogwarts and act like everything was normal and Harry was the only one with something to grieve. If grief was the only thing she had left of Sirius, she refused to let go. She refused to have nothing left of him at all.

She dreamt she was back in the Department of Mysteries running down the black hallway but each time she tried to reach him it was too late. He had slipped away from her fingers again and to the other side. She stood at the threshold of the Veil, contemplating following Sirius to the other side. Uncertain where it would take her. Of where it would go or if she would even find him again. As if the Veil were nothing more than a dramatic curtain behind which he was hidden.

"Sirius, are you there?" she called out, "If you are, tell me and I will follow you. I will..."

No reply came from the Veil except a cold, humming breeze as it continued to flap like an invitation to death. She outstretched her hand and felt the cold air gently flowing out of it.

.

Hermione awoke back in her room with a start. She was laying face down on her bed but there was something different.

There was a weight shifting on her bed.

For a moment she panicked as she realized that it couldn't be Crookshanks because she hadn't brought him with her. But then a voice spoke and her heart nearly stopped.

"Wake up."

Her heart was beating wildly but she didn't dare move or open her eyes. Because she knew that voice and she knew this was a dream and she didn't want to wake up.

"Wake up," the voice repeated, this time in her ear.

The feel of his breathe against her neck made her tremble as if she were on fire, it felt as if he was really here beside her. She shut her eyes even tighter,  
not daring to let this moment go.

The voice chuckled softly, "I know you're already awake, Hermione."

A tear began to form in her eye. Because it felt so good to hear him say her name. She didn't think she'd ever get to hear it again.

"No," she said firmly, "I don't want to let you go."

Suddenly she felt a hand on her cheek and Hermione almost jumped out of her skin. Her heartbeat was now doing somersaults.

She gasped as his hand traced down her cheek to her neck before going back up to wipe the tear from her eye. It was such a simple gesture, sweet and thoughtful, just as Sirius had been in real life.

"Just open your eyes, love," he whispered.

A long moment seemed to pass before she gathered the strength to reply, "No, I miss you too much. I don't want you to leave me."

His voice was a delicate poison that went through to her aching soul, "The ones that love us never really leave us, Hermione."

She shook her head and tried not to break down in tears, "No, that's a lie. You left me, you died."

"I'm right here," he sighed as he grabbed her hand in his own. It was warm and rough and felt so real as his larger hand encircled her fingers and rubbed at her palm.

Hermione was so tempted to open her eyes. She didn't know what to think anymore. If this was a dream, it was the realest dream she had ever had. She could feel Sirius breathe on her skin. She could feel Sirius weight shift on the bed. She could even inhale Sirius' soft masculine scent. But she still couldn't believe it. Life didn't give you second chances, not beyond death.

He laughed softly, "You're as stubborn as ever, I see."

"I know," she whispered, though she was so tense now she was almost shaking.

"It's why I loved you," he said.

Hermione lost it. Her heart broke into two. She knew this couldn't really Sirius but hearing any semblance of him say he loved her was enough. She began to sob uncontrollably. But this time she didn't cry alone, Sirius held her in his strong arms and she felt his whole body against hers.

"I'm here Hermione, I never really left you," he murmured into her hair as she sobbed into his shoulder.

"Show me," she sobbed while using all her self-restraint to not open her eyes, "Show me you're really here."

"Well if you insist..."

Suddenly he grabbed her by the shoulders and kissed her, a soft peck at first but then rougher and needier as he held her against him. Hermione gasped in shock and he took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. Her hands immediately went to entangle themselves in his long hair. He was real, merlin, he was real. Without thinking she opened her eyes. He was right there, looking exactly as he had in real life except that he now lay beside her in her bed, kissing her madly. Whether this was a dream or not, she didn't care anymore. He was here now.

"Oh, god Sirius," she groaned as his hands moved down over her thigh.

Her grief had only amplified her need.

"I need you so bad," she sobbed.

He suddenly shifted her beneath him so that he was crouched above her.

Hermione's eyes widened for the slightest second. But then she closed her eyes and continued kissing him as if she would die without his touch, though in a way she was asking for the opposite.

.

"I love you," she managed to whimper in between kisses.

"I know. I heard you when you were looking up at the stars," his lips moved down to her neck.

"Is that where you went?" she couldn't help asking because even though she was overwhelmed to have Sirius with her, telling her he loved her, it had not shut off the part of her brain that bristled with a thousand questions.

He chuckled against her throat, "I can't tell you that Hermione, I'm not allowed. To make this visit I have to follow some rules, and that includes not revealing too much about the afterlife."

Hermione suddenly felt angered by the reminder that he wasn't really alive, and that he couldn't tell her about the afterlife. She shifted away from him and pushed his warm hands away.

"Then why are you here?" she glared at him though it was hard to stay angry at him.

His beautiful grey eyes were mournful. She immediately regretted being harsh with him. He traced his finger languidly across her arm.

"If we are needed by someone, We are allowed to visit one last time," he said slowly, "in our human form, before we have to leave forever."

Hermione stopped breathing. She felt like she was going to faint.

"You mean you can't...?"

He held onto her hand, holding tightly as if saying wordlessly he never wanted to let her go, "No, I can't come back, not in this physical form...If I did return, it could not be as Sirius Black."

Hermione choked on the air. She felt like she was losing him a second time, and it was even more painful now knowing that he loved her.

"Breathe," he said gently.

She shook her head. She didn't want to breathe, she wanted to die.

"Breathe," he said again and tapped her back. Immediately her lungs began to breathe normally against her will.

She breathed in and out for a moment before crying in desperation, "If you can't stay, I want to go with you where you're going!"

Sirius smiled sadly, "It's not your time, Hermione. Understand that. You have to stay here."

"Why do you want to leave me alone?!"

"You won't be alone. Your family, Harry, Ron, all love you very much, you can't leave them. Promise me you'll never try to go on purpose."

He grabbed her by the shoulders and made her look up at him, "Promise me!"

When she didn't answer, he kissed her roughly and Hermione felt her whole body burn from his touch.

So many different things raced through her mind but as he broke the kiss and she stared up into his grey eyes only one thing made sense to her grief-stricken mind, "I'll promise on one condition."

"What is that?"

"That you'll try to find your way back to me," she said stubbornly, "And don't try to tell me you can't do it, because you escaped Azkaban, if anyone can do it it's you!"

Sirius smiled sadly. His face was younger, like in his marauder days, but still with a heavy heart in his grey eyes.

"Death is a little different Hermione." He brushed her hair out of her face, "I'm afraid you think I'm greater than I am."

"Don't say you can't," she cried, refusing to let go of hope.

He smiled again. "I'll try Hermione. I promise I'll try."

That was good enough for now. She pulled him down onto the sheets, not wasting any time to hold him while she had him.

.

"When do you have to leave?"

"Before the sun rises."

Hermione looked at the clock, it was 4am. She wanted to scream and destroy the whole room in her rage. Though she knew that wouldn't do any good and it would just wreck the last moments they had together.

A sob escaped her lips and she hit out at his chest with her fist because she knew it was true.

So instead she crawled into his arms and they lay together quietly in bed, Sirius murmuring sweet nothings in her ear while Hermione held onto him so tightly she hoped she could trick death. As if by clutching his hands and body so tightly around hers, there was no way death could take him away from her unless he took them together. But as the sunrise started to burn the sky with orange and purple light, the constellations began to fade from view and she knew she was losing him. He didn't have to say anything though she was gripping him so tightly he would've already lost his circulation if he weren't already dead.

"I love you Hermione," he kissed her cheek one last time.

"Please don't leave, please don't leave me, please!" she screamed madly as he started to fade.

"It's alright Hermione, I won't really be gone," he said quietly as he disappeared in a flash of white light.

He was gone.

If it weren't for her promise, Hermione would've been tempted to slash her wrists in order to follow him to the other side. Instead she doubled over and sobbed silent screams.

.

It would be another two days before Ron and Harry broke down the door and forcibly took her to the hospital wing to recover. Neither Harry or Ron yet understood why Sirius' death had shaken her so much. Though the truth became obvious on its own, as people began to connect the dots, they ever said anything to Hermione. Harry knew that if she didn't bring up the subject herself, it meant she didn't want to talk about it. They didn't talk about why Hermione now always looked up at the stars at night or why astronomy became her obsession after Sirius' death. They didn't talk about why Ron and Hermione's relationship never seemed to go anywhere, after several years of dating and Ron's patience.

It was only brought up, finally by Ron, when she had turned down his marriage proposal after graduation.

"It's him isn't it?!" Ron growled, his face red with humiliation and tears, "You're still thinking of him after all these years. I don't know how can love a pervert who would touch a 16 year old girl!"

She knew she shouldn't have said anything but she slapped Ron hard on the face. "You know nothing about Sirius or I, Sirius was a good man and my only wish is that he had touched me!"

Ron's face was a mixture of disgust and heartbreak. Hermione had never seen him so upset. Red blotches appeared on his face in pure fury.

"Fine," he yelled, "Rot alone thinking of some dead wanker! I've had enough!"

They didn't talk for months after that, despite Harry's attempts to bring them together, but eventually Ron apologized for losing his temper and Hermione also said sorry for hurting Ron. It was only a while later that Ron announced his engagement to Luna, and Hermione was invited to their wedding. Despite the many rumours to the contrary, Hermione was genuinely happy for Ron and Luna. At her core, Hermione knew that she had hurt Ron much more than he had hurt her by not being more honest with her feelings. Though she couldn't always understand her own heart completely...or why it refused to let go of an impossible hope.

.

Hermione gave Harry a tight-lipped smile and went to stand beside him as the wedding procession music began to play. Harry was best man, of course, and looked dapper in a black suit. But Hermione knew he was worried about her and he wasn't completely happy about Ron's marriage.

"Don't get me wrong, Luna is a great woman," Harry said quietly, so that none of the other guests could hear, "still I always thought it would be you and Ron marrying."

"How many times do I have to tell you I'm alright, Harry? Ron and I were never meant to be. It's my fault really for not telling him sooner."

Harry frowned. "Tell him what exactly?"

"That I couldn't love him the same way I was supposed to," she said, trying to keep emotion out of her voice.

"But why is that, Hermione? Why were you never able to love Ron when he loved you so much and waited for you so long. Tell me the truth," Harry pleaded with a deeply seated hurt in his eyes.

Hermione looked around the crowd of wedding guests, at the many hundreds of faces who had gathered at the Burrow to attend one of the Golden Trio's wedding. There were many red-headed guests from the Weasley family, including the very vocal Molly Weasley who had sent Hermione several howlers over  
the years for breaking her son's heart. There were also many workers from the Ministry where Ron's father, and now Ron himself, worked. They were several important figures from the wizarding world, including the Minister of Magic himself and the new Hogwarts headmaster.

Hermione exhaled loudly.

Four years ago she would've been frightened of what such people thought of her, as if their opinions could wound her more than not being true to her heart. How wrong she had been.

Hermione suddenly felt very certain about what she needed to say.

She turned to Harry and said strongly, not caring if anyone else heard, "I never felt that way about Ron because I love Sirius," she took a deep breath, "And I realize now, I always will."

Harry's green eyes opened a bit widely but he looked more relieved than shocked. "I know," he said slowly and shook his head, "I mean I never knew for certain, but I thought you did."

"Is it shocking?" Hermione asked though she was secure enough to know it didn't matter whether the truth was shocking or not. The truth was the truth.

Harry grabbed her hand and held it, "If I'm honest, if you had told me that while he was alive, I might've hated you for it. But a lot has happened since then, and I saw how much you suffered when he died."

She nodded but said nothing. She was still not ready to talk about his death just yet, at least not without crying.

Harry smiled sadly though there were tears threatening to come out of his eyes, "Actually, it's good to hear you say it, Mione, get it off your shoulders...though..."

"What is it?" Hermione asked weakly.

"Did anything happen-?" Harry's eyes betrayed hurt and fear. Hermione realized Harry must have been worried about this for a long time. Worried and uncertain, not sure he wanted to know, if his godfather had ever acted inappropriately with the young girl who was his best friend.

"Nothing happened," she said, "Not while he was alive."

"Oh...I mean not that that's..."

Harry didn't seem to pick up on what she meant by the line 'not while he was alive'. But that was okay. That moment was private, probably only been a dream.

"I was worried."

"It's alright, Harry," she tapped his back, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. Though I wouldn't be ashamed now if something had happened."

Harry and Hermione remained holding hands as Luna came walking down the aisle towards Ron.

For a moment everything felt right.

"By the way, I never asked, but how did you know where to find me that day?"

"You mean when you were grieving right after Sirius' death?"

"Yes."

"It's the strangest thing but we received a letter from someone telling us exactly where you were."

Hermione felt her heartbeat quicken.

"Did it say who it was from?"

"No," Harry said, his green eyes observing her very intently, "It didn't say but it was delivered by Sirius' old owl." He pressed her hand tighter and she realized she was shaking.

.

 _Two years later..._

She was standing in a train platform when her eyes stopped on a face in the crowd. She had never seen him before but he walked right up to her.

"Hello," he smiled.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 ** _"You're a sky full of stars,_**

 ** _because you light up the more it gets dark,_**

 ** _I want to give you my heart._**

 ** _And I don't care, go on and tear me apart." -Coldplay_**

 ** _._**

 ** _._**

 ** _._**

 **A/N: Just would like to add, that there is nothing underage in this story or any of my stories. It was implied that Hermione had a crush or loved Sirius during Order of the Phoenix, but that he never acted inappropriately towards her. I wrote it that way because when I was 15 I had a massive crush on Sirius.**

 **Please review :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/n: Thanks to everyone who reviewed/fav/followed, it inspired me to continue! And I'm glad you were also curious to know who the man standing at the train station was. I think there is a lot more going on than meets the eye.**

* * *

 **.**

 **A Very Forward Stranger**

 **.**

Fog and the sound of loud whistles and chatter filled the train station as she stood on the platform but Hermione could only focus on the man in front of her.

"Do I know you?"

The young man smiled wider. There was something familiar about his smile. Though he had dark brown hair, blue eyes and she had never seen him before in her life.

"No I don't think so." His blue eyes met hers. "Actually I'm sorry to bother you...but I saw you standing there," he grinned impishly, "and thought you quite beautiful."

If tingles weren't already going through her spine Hermione might've blushed at being called beautiful by a stranger but there was something about this man that held her captive... something almost unearthly. Shivers ran through all her back.

"I'm sorry my name is Leonard Colt..."

"Oh." For a moment she felt disappointed for an inexplicable reason though it shouldn't have disappointed her to know what his name was. Though maybe...She realized with embarassment that she hadn't given her name yet and was just staring at him.

"My name is Hermione." She omitted Granger. Because she was tired of being recognized as a war heroine and if this man for some reason didn't know who she was, she appreciated having anonymity for a little longer.

"It's a beautiful name. Hermione," he said as if testing out how the name sounded on his tongue.

She would've been offended by this level of flattery in someone else. But oddly she felt comforted by it.

"I'm going to Salsbury," she said quickly, "what train are you taking?"

He laughed, almost in embarassment. "The same, if you would believe it." He held up his ticket to - so she knew he wasn't lieing. Though she didn't think he was lieing, there was something implicitly trustable and honest about him. He must just have one of those faces.

"Would I be pressing my luck, if we sat together?" he asked with a grin, his floppish hair falling into his eyes in an almost puppyish way. One of his hands moved to brush it away from his face. It struck her with a feeling of deja vu. "I don't normally do this, I'm sorry-"

"Yes," she said immediately before he could change his mind. She had an urgent sense to be near him. "Yes, I'd like that." She smiled to reassure him. "I was just going to read," she held up a worn paperback in her hands, "I'd appreciate having company. It'll make the journey faster."

She felt a jolt in her stomach as he smiled at her again.

"Alright Hermione."

.

.

.

 **A/N: I think these two might be getting close... Though you can expect surprises and some plot twists of who he really is. Please review/fav/follow if you want more, thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3

**.**

She realized she was staring at him and stopped herself, looking down at her feet for a moment. But then she couldn't help lifting her eyes back up at him again. It was hard not to when they were sitting together, across from each other, in the same train compartment.

Leonard sat with his legs stretched lazily out before him, a smirk on his face as he stared back at her in a way that he must know made her uncomfortable. But he did it anyways. And the scuffled edge of his black converse shoes sidled up to her side of the compartment, so that Hermione had to tuck her feet back uncomfortably so that their legs were not touching.

Hermione swallowed a lump in her throat and nervously pushed back a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Is something the matter?" Leonard asked gently.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him.

Surely he understood perfectly well that he was making her uncomfortable? Or was he just feeling so smug that he wanted to rub it in?

Hermione was beginning to wonder why she'd agreed to share a train compartment with Leonard Colt, this stranger. She'd had such an odd feeling when she first met him, an almost intense recognition, that it had temporarily blindsided her. But now that they'd actually sat down and chatted with him for a few minutes, she became increasingly aware of the differences between them. For one thing he wore converse sneakers and slacks, with leather bands around his wrists, while she wore a pencil skirt and sedate jacket from her work.

"How old are you Leonard?"

Leonard smiled in a way that was terribly roguish. "Why does it concern you?"

How did he know that? But Hermione didn't answer.

"I'm seventeen," he said finally and raised his eyebrows at her, as if waiting for her reaction.

She felt surprised but tried to contain it. "I'm twenty-five."

He laughed. "That's a bit of an age difference."

"Is something funny?" Hermione asked stifled, her face reddening. She didn't know why but she felt as if fate was laughing at her.

"I don't know it just seems like we're never the right age."

Hermione found this an extremely odd statement. They'd just met, how were they never the right age? Though somehow it felt as if there was a ring of truth to his statement. She couldn't admit now that she felt attracted to him or had allowed herself to be flattered by a 17 year old for a moment. Though she had really thought he was closer to her age. Mostly because he seemed so confident and self-assured of himself. Wise beyond his years. He had fooled her.

She found her posture stifening, as she sat up in her seat and closed the book in her lap with a snap.

Leonard Colt, whoever he was-and he presented no clear picture of what he was or stood for-was much too young for her. She felt embarassed that she'd let herself be flirted with by a cocky seventeen year old before she had been made aware of his age. Well, she'd just have to be clear that she could only be a friend and no more.

Still she allowed herself to be amused by him as he regalled her with stories of his friends and exploits and she listened with interest and almost a feeling of deja vu.

Leonard Colt seemed to have a very happy life on the surface-he lived his with aunt and uncle, had a cat named George, an apprenticeship at a mechanics after finishing school early-yet there was something inexplicably sad about his eyes. Almost as if he had seen too much and was trying to forget. Which seemed almost impossible, what great sorrows could he have seen at seventeen?

Well whatever that was it was no business of hers.

Hermione couldn't deny she was fascinated by him and wished to know more but it didn't seem appropiate.

As the train slowed to halt at Salsbury, Hermione started to think of excuses in her head so that she could get away from Leonard without hurting his feelings. She didn't really want to seem him go, actually the thought saddened her, but how appropiate would it be for Hermione Granger, war heroine and the Ministry of Magic's Head of Foreign Affairs, to be seen around with a puppyish 17 year old? People might get the wrong idea. Merlin knows enough false stories had been written about her in the tabloids whenever the Daily Prophet photographed her with any man. She didn't need another article by the likes of Rita Skeeter insinuating things about her private life again. Especially how they blamed her for the breakup of Harry's marriage. It had been pure hell for over six months of reporters hounding her. She didn't want a repeat of that situation.

Hermione hurriedly got out her from and stood up to leave the compartment.

"It was nice meeting you Leonard," she said shyly, looking down at her feet so she was not tempted to stare at the seventeen year old again.

But Leonard wasn't about to let her walk out of his life and leave things at that.

"Are you going?" He stood up quickly and swiped his hair out of his face, standing close to her. He was taller than her by at least a foot and she had to look up to meet his eyes.

Rather inappropiately, Hermione felt her heartbeat race again as she stared into his eyes. Oh why did he have to be younger than her?

"Why don't we stroll through the station together..." Leonard said, as if he were afraid to lose her too, "Is someone coming to pick you up?"

Hermione bit her lip. "Yes. I'm meeting someone," she lied.

In a way much too old and knowing for his age, Leonard laughed. "And you would be embarassed to be seen with me, would you?"

Hermione tried to shrug off the feeling that she was ruining a once in a lifetime, possibly once in a universe, moment.

"I really should go Leonard," she said trying to move past him, but he suddenly grabbed her hand and she felt such an electric shock at his touch.

"I said I'd come back for you."

Hermione felt a cold chill run up her spine.

"W-what did you say?"

It couldn't be...she stared at his blue eyes not sure what to think.

.

.

.

 **A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and HUGE APOLOGY FOR NOT UPDATING SOONER. I really wanted to update it sooner but I kept writing it with this annoying age difference between hermione and leonard, which i didn't plan. I honestly tried and tried to make them the same age so they could just be together, but the story refused to be written any other way. They had to be different ages. again. I guess its karma for the characters, that they must repeat the same lessons!**

 **xoxox**


	4. Chapter 4

**.**

 **Deja vu**

 **.**

"I said I'd come back for you."

Hermione felt a cold chill run up her spine.

It couldn't be...she stared at his blue eyes not sure what to think.

"W-what did you say?"

Leonard smiled nonchalantly, though a moment ago he had seemed to have such an intense earnestness in his eyes.  
"I'm sorry I don't know why I said that." He pressed his hands to his lips, covering his mouth, as if genuinely confused by the words that had come out of his own mouth.

His eyes met hers again and Hermione had to swallow hard to keep emotion out of her voice at what she said next.

"I'm not sure who you are Leonard, or what you want from me, but I think I should go."

She said that so coldly though she felt like her eyes were watering up. Because for a moment. For one insane inexplicable moment. She thought he was going to tell her he was Sirius. And it brought back all her old emotions to the surface.

"Goodbye Leonard."

This time she managed to get around him and open the compartment door. Leonard Colt however, recovered  
from his temporary stupor, and followed after her as she moved through the platform, weaving her way through the bustling crowds. A few elbows and pieces of luggage knocked painfully into her but she didn't stop moving forward through the crowd.

But she soon heard Leonard's voice behind her.

"Wait, Hermione wait!"

She ignored him, pretending not to hear him as she moved even faster through the crowd, hoping that if she put enough distance between them, he'd lose sight of her. She really didn't want to stop, not wanting this stranger to see her cry. But Leonard was chasing after her as if his life depended on it. She could hear the hustle behind her as he caused a commotion to catch up with her.

"I know you. I feel as if I know you!" Leonard was by now shouting in the train station, making everyone look around at them.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she lied as she felt the eyes of the crowd centering around them, some of them no doubt recognizing her as theboywholived's best friend.

"Hermione I'm sorry, I can't explain, I just want to talk to you," Leonard said as he finally caught up with her.

Hermione refused to turn around and look at him.

"Please just go," she said through the tears forming in her eyes. Because damn it, she would never admit it but she felt as if she knew him too. And she couldn't. He couldn't be. It was not possible.

"Hermione please just give me a chance. I'm sorry, I don't know what's happening to me."

His voice was so pleading, so emotional. It stuck something inside her and her feet stopped moving forward at once.

Leonard suddenly saw the tears going down her face as she turned around to face him.

"Hermione you're crying. Why are you crying?" his hand went out automatically to cradle her cheek but she stepped away.

"Please don't touch me," she said sharply.

She took out the hilt of her wand, warning him to keep his distance.

If they weren't in a station surrounded by muggles, she would've already have apparated. She thumbed her wand in her pocket and Leonard's eyes alighted in recognition. Knowing that she could obliviate and then apparate away from him in an instant.

"Don't."

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.

 **A/N: Thanks to everyone that liked this story and thanks to **she'sexpensive, alberttwist, mommabearmckeown for reviewing!**** **Also special thanks to paulaa90 and guest who left such thoughtful nice reviews on the last chapter! This story is kind of quirky and odd but it overwhelmed me how much a couple people seem to like it, thanks :-)**

 **To guest: You guessed that Leonard would be younger? Wow. That took me by surprise since I was not even expecting it myself, though perhaps it was the name that gave it away? "colt" means a newborn horse so Leonard is in a way a reborn person** **without giving too much away :)**

 **I'm not actually sure Leonard is a muggle or muggleborn since I didn't specify it, but assumably the first train they took together was a magical train like hogwarts express but when you get off the train, the platform mixes with the muggle train platform like in the books (platform 9 and 3/4 and assumably other platforms)...so he's probably a wizard, though I may be wrong again!**

 **To Paulaa: Yes, Harry was married to Ginny and are only recently divorced. Also he might have feelings for Hermione, so Leonard better watch out for competition! XD**


	5. Chapter 5

**This chapter is dedicated to chinaglaze. Also huge thank you to Paulaa90, guest1, guest, pianomouse for reviewing the last chapter. I'm sorry I took so long to update but all my stories are WIP (works in progress) so I'll just have to keep updating each of them until they're all finished :)**

* * *

"Don't. Don't go."

His eyes were so incredibly sad that she felt something inside her break.

"I'm sorry. I have to," she whispered with tears in her own eyes. More sorry than she could ever say, or explain.

Before Leonard could react further, she flicked her wand and uttered a quick spell under her breathe.

From its place in her sleeve, no one in the crowd saw her flick her wand but instantly Leonard stood stunned. His jaw slackened and the light seemed to go out of his eyes.

Hermione stared at his face.

It would only last a few minutes before she could get out of here. But she felt horribly guilty as she looked into his blue eyes.

To anyone looking, it would just look like Leonard was drunk and that's why he had been shouting and chasing her, which would explain the commotion he caused.

"I'm sorry Leonard," she repeated. More for her benefit than his since he couldn't really hear anything now.

She grabbed a hold of his hand and led him, like an automaton, to a bench so that he would be sitting down when he woke from his stupor.

She would be gone by then.

She bit her lip, making it hurt a bit. Why did she feel so guilty?

But she hadn't taken his memories. That was the last thing she would do to someone already suffering from a faulty memory. Clearly this Leonard had memory or mental problems that led him to confuse her with someone.

She looked one last time at Leonard's face before disappearing into the crowd.

Outside the station, she walked briskly to the parking lot and got into the vehicle the Ministry had waiting for her use.

A shiny red Rolls Royce. From the 1930s. She would stick out like a sore thumb.

Hermione shook her head. The ministry valued itself highly on discretion but sometimes, when it came to muggle issues, they got everything completely wrong.

She twisted the key into the ignition and the magically modified's engines burst into a loud guttural rumble.

~/~

Leonard awoke with a start to find himself sitting on a bench in the Salisbury train station.

His fingers and limbs tingled painfully with pins-and-needles as if they had been asleep.

It took him a minute to recall what had happened and then a minute longer to regain control of his limbs, as he wondered why he was there, but then he remembered everything in fine detail. Everything about meeting Hermione and his own inexplicable mental confusion as he spoke to her. How things seemed to slip in his head and mouth without his own comprehension.

He remembered telling her "I said I'd come back for you" but then as now, he could not understand why he'd said that. The words did not seem to make sense even to himself.

No wonder she'd been frightened off. And then the worst of it was that he'd told, no shouted at her, while he chased her down the train platform, that he 'knew her'.

"Fuck." Leonard wrestled with his head in his hands, pulling at his hair. "She must think I'm mad."

He felt so confused, the least of which was that he knew for a fact that he was in love with her. This Hermione he just met and then who ran off from him without saying another word.

.

.

.

A/N:

 **To guest who left the long amazingly thoughtful review (which blew me away) thank you (since i cant PM you) and I think you were right: leonard is a muggle.**

I wasn't sure before but I think Leonard is a muggle, which would help explain part of Hermione's hurry to get away. Despite being a muggleborn herself, I think that after so many years of living in the magical world Hermione would see non-magic people as very different from her and not compatible with her life as a witch, famous war heroine and Ministry lobbyist. To make an analogy (though this story has nothing to do with any celebrity), a celebrity would find they have less in common with normal people outside their industry.

I think it is normal, though unfortunate, that most people tend to gravitate towards those in their social group. it doesn't help that leonard is also so much younger than her, but don't worry-like sirius, Leonard doesn't give up and he is VERY resourceful. If he is in love with her, he will find a way to track her down. Poor boy, though, he's going to have his work cut out for him without magic!

 **To Paulaa90 (thank you!) who asked if Leonard is Sirius reincarnated and if so, how he got into his new body:**

I don't want to give too much away, and I'm not sure yet either, but reincarnation-if real-is probably a very complicated business that is beyond my own earthly understanding! I'm not god, I'm not sure what would be the mechanics of that! Though the first chapter of this story was actually written last Christmas after I had been reading a book about real life cases of reincarnation. It was written by a psychiatrist who used hypnotism to regress people's memories to their past life. Obviously I cannot know if this is psychiatrist is sincere or just trying to make money (hey its the root of all evil right?) but past life regression seems to be real. That doesn't mean that reincarnation is necessarily real. But hey I'm making NO money here, so I wouldn't even try to make a theory about it!

Paulaa also said "But I was sad to read that Harry's marriage broke up. Was he married to Ginny? Maybe now that his Godfather is back he can find some happiness too."

Unfortunately I think Harry and Leonard might end up being antagonists this time! because I *think* part of the reason Harry's marriage with Ginny didn't work is that he had residual feelings for Hermione...and you know how a girl can get jealous if her significant other is too close to his female friend. I'm not a Hermione-Harry shipper but I do see some logic in that pairing. Also I thought Harry was very close to Hermione during the wedding scene in chapter 1, so it was hinted at.

Thanks for reading, until next time! :) This chapter is abominably short so dont bother reviewing unless you want to!

 **To Bibsi:** I fixed it! Thanks for spotting that, I changed his apprenticeship from being at Ollivanders to being at a muggle bodyshop/garage. After being an aristocrat in his previous life, I think Leonard would enjoy getting his hands greased up tinkering with the engines of cars and the motorcycles he loves.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** **thank you's to paulaa90, guest and pianomouse for reviewing the last chapter! You are an inspiration. Also thanks to bibsi for pointing out some consistency errors! **how embarrassing**** **:-)**

* * *

 **.**

"Hermione what's wrong?" Harry said as Hermione apparated into his apartment and collapsed into his arms.

She had dark rings under her eyes and looked like she hadn't slept. Which she hadn't.

It'd been two days since she met and left Leonard Colt at the train station, after stupifying him. and she was still thinking of him. which was killing her.

She wasn't supposed to be thinking of some 17 year old. especially not a muggle 17 year old.

She buried her face in Harry's shoulder, on his blue corduroy wool sweater. She knew she shouldn't be acting this weak in front of him but they'd grown closer since his divorce with Ginny. She'd seen the boy-who-lived breakdown enough to not be ashamed if she needed to breakdown too, or hold him occasionally. Merlin knows, she'd been Harry's shoulder to cry on through his whole messy divorce with Ginny. They didn't have any secrets between them anymore. If anything, the one blessing of Harry's divorce, was bringing them closer, something they hadn't been since Hogwarts.

She tightened her grip around Harry's neck and sighed deeply. Savoring this silent moment with just Harry's reassuring presence around her as he waited for her answer. Harry was always so patient.

"Hermione? What is it?"

Well not that patient.

She rubbed her nose against the familiar corduroy wool of his sweater, reassured by the familiar smell of laundry detergent and wood, and something indefinably Harry.

"I don't even know really," she said into his shoulder, "If I told you, you'd probably think I'm daft."

Harry broke their hug to grab Hermione by the shoulders and take a good look at her face.

"Hermione, I'm the last person that would judge you, you know that don't you?"

She sighed. "I'm sorry Harry. It's just I'm not even sure I can explain it, even I'm starting to think I'm mad. Like I imagined the whole thing."

"Imagined what?"

She breathed out deeply.

Well she couldn't just tell Harry she thought she met his late godfather's doppelganger and oh did she mention she was still in love with him?

She was trying to get over that whole thing.

"I want to move on Harry. Can't we let the past rest?"

"Not if it's bothering you." He tugged at a stray strand of her hair, "You're upset, I can tell."

Harry's hands easily slipped over her shoulders and down to her waist, nestling

her in his body heat. She jolted at the sudden contact. The implied intimacy.

Oh merlin, what happened to the days in school when Harry couldn't even tell what she was thinking, let alone when she was upset? She wasn't sure how to deal with this more emotionally mature Harry Potter.

"I wish you weren't so good at reading me." She winced. "Before you could never tell."

Harry smiled grimly. "I guess being married for five years taught me something." His voice trailed off. "Ginny always said I was emotionally obtuse...Maybe she was right."

Oh god Harry. She could hear the hurt in his voice.

She finally broke away from him but still keeping her arms around his neck.

"Oh Harry, stop it, it's not your fault. You did everything you could for Ginny-you can't keep blaming yourself." She held him tightly to her.

"I know I just miss her so much."

* * *

.

"Leonard where have you been?"

He strolled sulkily up to his aunt and pecked a kiss on her cheek.

"Been up to London again, took the train back."

His aunt laughed. "How many times have you been to London in the past month?" she shook her head, "You're always there, Leonard, half the time you're never here. I don't know why you always want to be in the big city. Don't you like it here?"

She had on an old floral apron and her wispy pale hair with its strands of grey was in a messy bun. A batter of kippers were on the counter beside her, ready to be fried.

His lips crooked in a sad smile. "I do Auntie, but I..." _feel the need to wander sometimes._

"You haven't been getting yourself up to trouble have you?"

He chuckled almost in disappoint. "Surprisingly no." Though he thought he may have had his heart broken.

He sat down at the table.

"You don't sound very happy about it?" His aunt queried an eyebrow

"No."

He frowned as he remembered Hermione's brown eyes, so full of fiery emotions he could only glimpse on the surface, as she told him-basically, in so many words-that she wanted nothing to do with him. Why had that hurt him so much?

"Aye, I know that look," his aunt said, interrupting his thoughts.

He stared up at her in confusion. "What look?"

His aunt held her hands on her hips and gave him _I-weren't-born-yesterday-look_ before she shook her head and went back to frying kippers.

"'Is about a girl, ain't it?"

Leonard just pouted. There wasn't exactly much to brag about that he'd been dumped at the train station by the difficult brunette before he could get a proper word in.

"Maybe."

"Aye 'maybe'," his aunt stifled a laugh. "You're always with one girl or another...I don't know why since your accident you seemed to get more confidence than less...Sometimes it's like your a whole other person, but I love you no matter. Yet you always used to be so painfully shy."

"I don't remember being shy."

"No you wouldn't. Still you can't seem to make up your mind now with these girls now, can you? So did you meet your match then? What's her name?"

She wiped at her apron as she dashed at the onions.

"Hermione," he said slowly "but she hates me."

Aunt Marjorie raised her brows skeptically. "She hates you?"

"Yes."

"But you like her very much?"

"I don't know...I felt," _well this was going to sound barmy mad again,_ "like I knew her." _from long ago._

"Well you maybe you did know her, Leonard. Is she from about here?"

"No." He thought about that. "Well actually, she didn't tell me but her accent was off. Different.". _..and yet familiar too. Like she came from another world, parallel to theirs, but hidden from view, yet always a few steps away... and there he went off again with barmy thoughts._

"Will you see her again?"

He shook his head with utmost solemnity. "Probably not. Didn't like me."

His aunt smirked. "I'm sure that can't be true, Leonard."

"She ran off!" How much more obvious could it get that she didn't like him?

He wasn't an expert on female behaviour but how exactly was that hard to misread.

"Maybe she got scared."

"Right."

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.

.

 **Authors note:**

 **Okay so I said I wasn't a Harmony (Harry/Hermione) shipper and thought it would be a struggle to write them but I think I totally just fell in love with Harry in this chapter. He's so sweet and adorable and has glasses and green eyes...and well Leonard/Sirius is a bit of a troublemaker...**

 **Who do you think Hermione will end up with first Harry or Leonard?**


	7. Chapter 7

Thank you to Paulaa90, guest and Bibsi for reviewing, it inspired me to write this chapter faster ;-) Hope you like it! also thanks to everyone who reviewed/followed too, wow!

* * *

 ** _Three Weeks Later..._**

 ** _Dawes Garage, Salisbury_**

.

Leonard ran his hand along the sleek black metal of the motorcycle.

He didn't think he'd seen anything more beautiful. A 1960s Triumph Bonneville. 649cc of pure power. An upgraded engine. 4-speed gearbox. A beaut.

He whistled at it as if the motorcycle were a fine woman and polished the rear view mirror.

"Oh she's a beauty alright," he said aloud and wiped his hands off the grease.

Mr. Dawes passed him and barked at him. "Leonard, quit mucking about and get those transmissions cleared up!"

"Sorry sir. On the double!"

Mr. Dawes chortled. "Honestly boy, you spend more time looking at the engines and chatting up the women than you do fixing things. If I weren't being paid to keep ya here, I'd have a mind to fire you."

"Well sir you are being paid to apprentice me," Leonard said amiably, for he liked Mr. Dawes despite his grouchy temper, "And you did say I'm the best at fixing those shoddy Lucas systems..."

"Yes that," he laughed. "Otherwise you'd be long gone. Still I like you. You're a good lad."

He patted him on the head, ruffling up his already messy hair, which was greased up from laying on the garage floor.

"You should get you hair cut, it does no good to have long hair around here." Mr. Dawes added as he tramped over to a box of spanners and squinted as he picked out some nuts and drill bits.

"Hmmm." Leonard looked thoughtful. "Somehow I couldn't bare to part with it." He felt at his hair. "It's not actually that long."

"Ha! It's long enough so unless you're planning on mopping up the floors with your head, I suggest you get it cut." Mr. Dawes scowled. "You have some odd ideas, boy."

Leonard shrugged. Birds liked his hair. He smirked. And he thought maybe it was the large bald spot on top of Mr. Dawes's head that made him hate his long hair so much.

"Planer where's Planer? I need to talk with him!" Mr Dawes shouted and stomped off in search of his other mechanic underling.

The man with the keys to the 1969 Bonny came up to him. He was a tall man with a leather jacket and shoes with pointed steel toes. Sirius admired him at once.

"Are you the one that fixed up my Triumph?"

Leonard smiled. "She's a beaut."

"She is isn't she?" the man said in a smooth northern accent.

He tossed him the keys. "I have to go back into town and I need someone to drive it up the corner. Think you can manage?"

Leonard's smile widened.

.

"Sir can I take it up?"

Mr. Dawes gave him a long look like who are you kidding before he grunted, "Oh fine then, Leonard, have a go at it then." He smiled but then hastily added, "But mind you be careful and drive extra slow! The insurance would go up a fortune if anything happened to-

"Of course, not to worry, sir!"

He hurried out of the garage, changing out of his slacks and into his clean clothes. Careful to wash his hands and face before he put on his leather jacket, a battered thing with red wings emblazoned on the back, that he'd picked up at a vintage shop. He treated the jacket a bit like it was sacred and would hate to get any grease on it.

To complete the look, he donned a pair of black aviator glasses.

He felt like a god as he slid into the hot leather seat of the bike.

The engine purred agreeably and rumbled under his thighs as he twisted it into the ignition.

Oh yes he could get used to this.

Ignoring his former promise to Mr. Dawes and Mr. Canes, he set off at a jet speed out of the garage. Faintly he heard Mr. Dawes shouting after him, but he grinned and pressed on the gas.

He wanted to test the speed on this baby and zoomed off.

.

* * *

.

Hermione drove the Rolls-Royce slowly up the hill where there'd been a report to the Ministry about a grindylow sighting. Something or other about wizarding teens or vandals, probably getting up to no good. And now it was Hermione's duty to figure it out and make sure no muggles saw it.

Her hands clutched tightly to the steering wheel.

Honestly when she signed up for work at the Ministry's Department of Magical Creatures she expected to deal with a lot more animals than people. But lately it seemed it was just muggles and irresponsible wizards she had to deal with. Give them metaphorical slaps on the wrist and other useless fines. Because there was always another wizard who thought it was hilarious to let their pet bandicoot loose.

Today it was some farmer's wife who reported seeing weird creatures that attacked her sheep as they drank from the pond. She'd made a frantic phone call to muggle police and the call had been transferred to her at the Ministry.

.

A portly woman in pink slippers and tight curls came out towards her, her hands wringing together in obvious distress.

"Where are the bobbies? I called for them hours ago!" the woman demanded aggressively.

"Sorry, mam, they sent me. I'm from pest control."

"You?" The woman looked at her skeptically then shook her head, as if mentally deciding that any help was better than none. "Well can you explain what has been going on here?!"

The woman frowned deeply, lines across her forehead and around her mouth. Clearly the woman had the fright of her life when she saw a grindylow in her pond and Hermione took some pity on her.

Hermione smiled tightly and took the woman's arm in hers. "Yes if you would just lead the way to where you saw them..." She held her wand tightly in her grasp.

She felt slightly guilty about obliviating the distraught woman, without even explaining what she saw or having a few friendly words. But she was honestly in a rush to get back to London and Harry. They'd been invited to have dinner with some of his friends at the Aurors and she thought it was good that Harry was finally getting himself out there again.

.

* * *

.

Leonard looked back down at the freeway then at the footrests.

He thought for a moment the motorcycle lifted off the ground. But no that couldn't be. He had to be imagining it.

Motorcycles didn't fly.

He grinned. Well except in his dreams and he had the most bizarre dreams lately.

He'd better not tell any of this to his aunt and uncle otherwise they'd worry.

They gave him long looks sometimes, like they didn't think he was quite right in the head.

After the accident. They didn't think he'd recover. He'd been medically dead for a few minutes before they miraculously revived him.

But oddly Leonard didn't feel afraid of death after having come so close to it, he wanted to take more risks than ever.

.

He slowed when he saw a woman with a lithe figure and bushy brown hair walk past.

It looked like Hermione.

He slowed the motorcycle to a halt and edged towards the curb.

"Excuse me-"

The woman turned around and smiled at him. Looking at him expectantly with thin red lips and bright white teeth.

She was pretty, but she wasn't Hermione.

His heart sank a little.

"Sorry I thought you were somebody else."

He kicked the sidestand back up on the motorcycle and was about to set off when a barmy old lady pushing a shopping trolley approached him. Her eyes were huge and watery as they fixed on him.

"Wait just a minute." the old woman called at him. "Aren't you Sirius Black?"

Leonard frowned. He'd had the oddest feeling.

"Sorry, Sirius what?"

.

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A/N: please review if you can and thanks for reading ;-) the next chapter should be fun!


	8. Chapter 8

Thank you to Paulaa90, ndavis77, RainbowJH, and Lady Delphinea for reviewing, and thanks to everyone who followed and faved. This story started as a oneshot but people said they wanted it to continue so i'm glad i did, so thanks :-)

* * *

 _Memories_

.

He took off his aviator glasses, and her excitement immediately faded.

"Oh you're not. Of course not he's dead," she mumbled. "Of course you're not Black."

Leonard thought the woman completely batty. Yet seeing as he sometimes was seen as batty himself, he decided instinctively to give her the benefit of the doubt.

"I'm sorry, who did you think I was?"

"Sirius Black of course," she replied tersely.

She pointed a gnarly arthritic finger at him. "That jacket, is his."

"Yes but who is he?" he asked almost pleading, to make some sense.

The old woman frowned deeply, as if offended by his ignorance. "Don't you know? Haven't you heard of him?"

"No I honestly don't." Though the name did have a familiar ring to it.

The woman seemed to consider something for a moment before waving a hand, and what looked like a piece of stick, over him.

Leonard felt tingles as she waved her hand over him.

"Hmm. that's odd. You're one of us." She mumbled something under her breathe as if talking to herself and Leonard was starting to think she _was_ completely mad and he was wasting his time. Until the next thing she said, made him absolutely still as if his heart just stopped.

"Yes, you're one of us," she said definitively, "You're a wizard."

A _wizard._

He should have laughed and shook her hand, and told her to have a nice life at the sanitarium, before driving off. Instead his heart stood still and it felt like a homecoming, like the falling together of pieces.

"A wizard?"

Her beady blue eyes narrowed at him again, her old face crinkling up at the edges. "Don't you know anything young man, or are you just completely ignorant of everything?" the woman demanded angrily, as if his level of ignorance actually offended her. And really he should have no idea what she was talking about. Except in some way it made sense. In a way it shouldn't make sense. Except none of it was possible.

"You really should get yourself educated, young man," she said with a roll of her eye and began to walk away from him, her shopping trolley creaking rustily behind her.

"Wait a second." He was still going over her words and wondering why he was so fixated on the idea of being a wizard, and really he must be partly as barmy as her for even listening. When Leonard realized someone was eyeing the unattended motorbike and quickly ran to get the keys out of the ignition before someone stole it and he had some real problems.

He hurried back to the old woman, who was walking at a brisk pace in a garish orange coat and pushing the shopping trolley, towards a signpost.

He called out to her, telling her to watch out for the signpost.

She looked back at him briefly and seemed to smile before she walked right into the signpost. There was a crashing sound as the shopping trolley ran into the signpost and then a loud crack.

Then she was there one second and then she was gone.

Leonard was left standing with his mouth open.

The woman had disappeared into thin air.

Into thin air.

He rubbed at his eyes. God he didn't even do drugs. What the fuck was happening to him?

.

* * *

.

Harry grinned, his green eyes lighting up in away she hadn't seen for a long time. He was wearing a suit and looked quite dapper. Hermione would've been almost relieved to see him so looking so happy, after he'd been depressed for so long, if she weren't unnerved by the way Harry was staring at her.

"Where are the others?"

"They cancelled," Harry said a bit too quickly.

"All of them?" she asked skeptically.

Harry winced and rubbed nervously at his tie. "Yes." His eyes fixed on her so earnestly. "Is it alright if it's just us?"

"Yes." She stared around at the restaurant and realized how formal it was. "Yes of course it is Harry." She tried to smile and ran a hand through her hair which was in a fancy up-do, or as close as she could perfect a coiffure at the last minute. "I just wish you'd told me earlier so I didn't get dressed up so much."

Harry smiled. "You look fine. Great actually," Harry said quietly and lowered his eyes.

And did Harry, Harry Potter her best friend of fourteen years, just run his eyes over her?

No, she had to be imagining things.

"Let's go sit down. I need a drink," she winced.

Harry slipped his arm around hers and escorted her into the seating area.

The restaurant was truly dazzling, with waterfalls as walls and tinkering blue lights. Hermione thought she could see some of the richest most powerful people of the wizarding world seated around them, sipping haughtily from their wine glasses. It was such a fancy place. Not the type of place either Harry or her would ever go, despite being war heroes and famous in their own right. They tended to stay out of the limelight. She wondered why the aurors had decided to invite them here and then cancelled at the least minute. She had a niggling feeling it might've been some kind of set up. Aurors, of course, being sneaky by trade. Maybe they thought it was a good idea to invite their boss, the head auror, to a dinner date with his best friend. The meddlers.

Harry held out her seat for her and Hermione turned to sit down.

"Uhm, you have a scarf poking out of your dress," Harry said.

"What? Oh-" she looked over her shoulder and indeed her silk scarf had caught in the back zipper. She tried not to blush. "Sorry I was in such a a rush between getting off work and London traffic and there was this muggle business to take care of.." She fumbled with the zipper and struggled to get the scarf unstuck.

"Here I'll fix it," Harry spoke over her.

She flinched as she felt Harry's warm hands rub down her neck and fix the zipper of her dress.

"There." he smiled and handed her the scarf.

"Thanks Harry." she lowered her eyes. because she'd felt a bit heated when he touched her skin.

Maybe because it'd been too long.

She really was going to need a drink. Or two. If she was going to have these crazy thoughts.

* * *

.

"Did you see that?"

Leonard asked breathlessly to some passerby, "Did you see that woman that was there? In the orange coat?"

They laughed at him like he was crazy. "Oi! Get your head checked Colt. There was nothin' there."

He stood firmly rooted to the spot though, still looking at the sign post where she'd disappeared. A small crowd formed around him.

He heard someone whisper. "Maybe he is as barmy as they say he is after the accident. Memory problems, they say."

"Pretty face," a woman's voice snickered. "I'd have a go. Shame he's not right in the head." She broke into peals of condescending laughter. "Last time I was with him, he couldn't even remember my name."

"I know what I saw," he barked, suddenly defensive. Even if he knew what he saw was completely insane. He refused to let himself be insulted.

He jumped back on the motorbike and delivered it to its rightful owner before he took anymore time up.

Still he was worried. And he kept remembering the way the old woman was there one moment and the next she was gone.

Somehow it felt like all the puzzle pieces were falling back together but he just couldn't understand how.

Yet they had to fit together? Shouldn't they?

Hermione. The bike. The old woman. Flying. Wizards. Disappearing.

He couldn't be imagining it all.

And if he did, he was in even greater trouble than he thought.

Leonard clenched his jaw and focused on the rough wind blowing through his hair as he pressed down harder on the gas and the engine purred louder.

Somebody had to have the answers somewhere.

He couldn't really be crazy.

.

.

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* * *

Pweeze review if you want to read more! :D


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thank you to paulaa90 (thank you!), china (thank you for spotting those errors, i haven't fixed them yet but i will. Not sure about the kippers though, i am sort of attached to them even if battering them is inaccurate), guest (THANK you thank you thank you!) KrnGrangerdeBlack (muchos gracias), Lady Delphinea, ndavis77, rainbowJH, and thanks to everyone else that faved/followed. Glad you like Lenny/Sirius!**

 **I am also writing a JamesHermione story "Don't Overthink Things" which is almost finished and which you might like if you like mischievous troublemakers like Sirius. I didn't plan to write a Jamione but it sort of snuck up on me.**

 **Also Leonard is still feeling bad and confused about the incidents in the last chapter, so that is why he is in a bad mood with Jess.**

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 _Appearances_

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"You're no fun tonight," the thin lanky girl complained. Her name was Jessica, and they'd been in the same year when they'd done their GCSEs and kept in touch since then. Or rather she kept following him around the small village.

Her pale freckled hands were winding their way through his long hair, twirling his long dark hair around her finger as if he were a doll. He shuddered as he remembered how she'd tried to braid his hair once.

"Talk to me Lenny."

"I can't," he said and tried to bat her hands out of his hair. It was annoying how she always played with his hair. "You wouldn't understand."

"And what I'm too thick now to understand is that what you're saying?" Jess raised her voice dramatically.

"I didn't mean that." He buried his face in his hands, because he was really getting tired of her mood swings.

Jessica's blue eyes widened in anger. "You know what Leonard, next time you can just do it with your hand, I'm not going to be there to get you off!"

"C'mon Jess. Hey! Sorry." He tried to pull her back in the bed by the sheets but she was already climbing out and wrapping the sheets around her stick-thin form like some sort of self-righteous greek statue.

"No Lenny. I've had just about enough of your attitude lately!" she shouted and began to pick up her clothes from the floor.

"Lately? What d'you mean lately?" He ran a hand across his brow. "C'mon Jessie."

"How many times do I have to say not to call me Jessie, it's Jessa or JESS!"

Leonard suddenly snorted. He knew it was the inappropriate response, sorry, but it was just too funny that her name pronunciation was what she was getting angry about.

Jess narrowed her eyes even more at him, shooting daggers out of them if that were possible. "You're an arse Leonard Colt and I'll be glad if I never see you again!" She turned on her heel and stormed out. She slammed the door behind her, then came back a second later, and grabbed her phone off the dresser. "And don't even try calling me because I won't be answering! You'll be blocked!"

Then she slammed the door again. Even louder than the first time.

Leonard winced as the 5ft2 terror with red hair known as Jess, stormed her away out of his house. He hoped that she didn't wake his aunt or uncle on the way out.

Too late.

There was a commotion and some loud barking.

Then, from downstairs, his aunt and uncle were asking what all the commotion was, before they must have laid eyes on the teenage drama queen and she shrieked at them.

He quickly tore out of bed after Jess, before she woke up the whole neighbourhood.

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They were having desert when Harry pulled out her seat for her again and Hermione had to stop herself from cringing.

"Harry," she whispered, "You don't have to pull the seat out for me, _everytime_ I stand." She shifted her eyes around the room, hoping she wasn't making a scene. "It's demeaning. I can do it myself."

Harry actually stood his ground, his hands still on the back of her chair, and stared at her. "Hermione this is a very formal restaurant and it's a wizarding custom. It's sort of expected that I draw out your chair for you everytime, otherwise I would look rude." He raised a brow at her, his eyes somewhat mischievous.

"Harry since when have you ever cared about wizarding societal norms?" she whispered harshly back at him, conscious that they were getting more than a few curious glances.

"Since I've lived here since I was 11. Same as you. Don't you think we've both become more accustomed to living in this world than the other?"

Hermione thought about it that way. "Yes it's true." More than uncomfortably true. How much she'd distanced herself from the muggle world. And even some of her muggle family (her parents weren't exactly forgiving of the obliviation-Australia stunt she'd pulled during the war). Still, that didn't she had to follow _all_ wizarding customs.

She felt aware again that a few people were staring at the boy-who-lived and his best friend. Watching their every move as if they were a sideshow attraction.

"Harry can we just skip desert and go so someplace else?" she pleaded.

Harry actually smiled at that. "I was hoping you'd say that." He rubbed at his scar and she felt at ease with him again, this shy boy she'd known for most of her life. "This place is nice but it sort of attracts the wrong crowd."

He patted his hair over his forehead, as he often had through the years, whenever self-conscious about his scar.

The scar, that despite so much passage of time, was still there like a beacon to his identity. So many times she'd wanted to wipe that scar clean. But he wouldn't be the Harry he knew without it, would he?

They waived over the waiter to get the cheque.

"Sure you don't mind skipping out on desert?" he asked again.

"Not a chance." Hermione said quickly getting up and grabbing her purse.

Harry sounded relieved. "Let's get out of here."

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They walked out in the cold autumn night lit only by tall lampposts and passing taxis. Harry kept a few paces beside her. They were both wearing smart trench coats and to all the world, they probably looked like a couple on a late night stroll. People gave them sweet looks and smiled at them as they passed.

"Nice night, isn't it?" An elderly couple tipped their hat at them. The elderly gent had his arm around his smiling wife.

They were muggles and had no idea who they were.

"Yes, I always like it this time of year," Hermione smiled archly, because it was endearing how obvious they cared for each other. She looped her arm around Harry's. "If I can get him to take some exercise, he'd rather always just take the..." _floo_ "er, bus," she corrected herself before she revealed something to the muggles.

The woman laughed and leaned towards her eagerly. "My husband's just the same way and the poor thing had a stroke last year if you would believe it. He wouldn't do any exercise if it weren't for me," she teased. "Not that your fellow's in bad shape!" The old woman eyed Harry's athletic form a bit too thoroughly and Hermione had to stop herself from laughing. (Though it was true, Harry was in good shape despite never exercising. _I mean if you used magic for everything, you would expect him to have no muscle tone left.)_

"Have a nice night, then loves, you and your wife," the man said pleasantly and tipped his hat at them.

"Oh we're not-" Harry and Hermione both said..but then trailed off, because the elderly couple were smiling at them so happily, and really what was the point correcting them? And telling them, _actually_ Harry was a divorcee and her own heart was a mess, with two failed relationships and a string of one night stands that went nowhere. No, that would probably not go down well with the older generation.

"Night," is all they said eventually and Harry and Hermione waved them off.

They watched amiably as the couple strolled off another corner, disappearing into the night.

Harry smiled briskly at her and they started walking along the cobbled streets of old London. "You know, I often wondered if..."

"If what...?" Hermione asked, slightly disconcerted at the change of conversation.

Harry stared up at the stars, which were barely visible above the pollution of the metropolis, then down at her again. He stepped towards her.

"If it could've been me and you." He motioned a hand between them. "Us."

She frowned deeply. Oh it was true she'd thought of it sometimes, and merlin there were so many what ifs."Harry you can't think like that. So many things could've been or not been..." She bit her lip and thought of Sirius. So long ago. And still so fresh in her heart. He might've been alive if she'd done something different. He might've been here. She shook her head. "There's no use."

Harry seemed angered by her refusal to even see his way. "But it's simple really, if you hadn't gone with Ron and I hadn't been with Ginny, _we_ might've happened. None of the Weasleys worked out for us in the end, did they?"

"You're oversimplifying things Harry." Not the least which that she'd gone with Ron to forget about Sirius. To forget about exactly such 'what ifs'. Things that could never be. "It doesn't do to dwell on the past." Harry couldn't just erase his divorce from Ginny, no more than she could erase the contents of her own heart. "C'mon Harry let's just go home."

She walked towards the entrance to an alcove, where they could apparate without being seen.

"No." He pulled at her arm then, drawing her towards him with uncharacteristic aggression. "You're refusing to even look at the future." He held his hand up to her and cradled her face, daring her to look away from him. "I'm right here Hermione and you don't want to even see me."

There was an intensity in his green eyes that she'd never seen before. It frightened here, and she realized she'd been skirting around this issue all evening.

"You're confusing your feelings for Ginny with me..." she protested. Though suddenly Harry was so close and her hand on his arm and she could feel his muscles through his coat.

And maybe she was just tired and exhausted by everything, but she ached to close her eyes and just forget about Ginny and Sirius and Ron and Leonard and the past and everything that kept closing in on her.

"No, Hermione, I'm over Ginny. All I see is you."

He pressed down his lips to her.

.

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 **a/n: Who do you think Hermione should be with Harry or Leonard? tell me what you think Thanks!**

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